Hmmm.... Interesting...
Could you show us pictures to help us judge.
From my Experience, figs looooooooove direct sun. Well, my figs... The heat helps ripen your figs and fallen leaves "may" mean that the fig is directing its energy to its fruits. Also, try spacing them from each other so they get enough air flow before the cold. I have a trick for you! get a pointy piece of wood, a toothpick would suffice, and take some olive oil and gently when you rub some on the tip of the toothpick just insert it in the hole or "eye" of the fig. This helps make the ripening faster, but changes the taste a little, still worth eating your figs atleast..?

Mike,

I can't help you this year......but don't give up. Next spring after a branch has produced 5 leaves pinch out the terminal bud. Do this on each branch as you hit that 5 leaf mark and the tree will respond by putting out fig embryos much much sooner that will ripen in your short season area. Do asearch for "Pinching time" by Herman.

Hey, I really appreciate the support Bamboo and Mohammad....

I love the idea of piching..Next year for sure..

I am bummeb out bacause I lost ALL the 25 nail size figs on this one plant that turned yellow..I can tell you why...

I let it get to dry a couple days ago in the very hot sun on my flat roof, and now all the leaves are about to drop and the fruit are shrinking back..Dumb!
I shall have to water every day now that it's up there...

I hope I did'nt loose this one...It had the most fruit and it is the sweetest....I should have kept a close eye on it up there in that extreme heat..I just hope I didn't kill it:-(

I was hoping to get the fruit to grow faster in that hot sun...

Mike

Hi Mike:

Sorry to read about your fig problems. I could point out a few things that are worth checking. I'm guessing because you haven't mentioned variety, pot sizes, sizes of your trees, etc.

From you posting I will assume that your trees are containerized and small enough to be transported without lifting problems, so they are probably small plants...certainly not 5ft - 7ft trees. Are the trees in large enough containers? A 5-gallon bucket is a bare minimum for a 3ft-4ft tree. Are the trees root-bound?

Make sure you are growing a "short-season' variety of fig that will set and ripen fruit in cooler areas, like, e.g. "Hardy Chicago". If not, you may never see ripe figs no matter what you do. I'm ripening figs now, in Zone 7b, but my trees didn't leaf out until mid-May because of the cold Spring weather. I also grow in containers. Some of my known figgers, never set a main-crop this year. Next season will be different...I hope.

Never let a breba crop develop and ripen. Pinch them all off. If you allow brebas to develop, you will also delay the setting of your main-crop figs, and in your short-season area, this might mean that you will not see them ripening before cooler weather sets in.

As suggested, pinch back all new green stems to within 6-8 leaves. Do this on all branches that have set main-crop figs. This will re-direct the tree's energy into the development of the main-crop figs, and will let them ripen sooner, while the temps. are still warm.

Grow the trees in full sun and heat. Warm head, cool feet. Don't let the containers overheat and cook the roots. Gradually expose the trees early in the season, to these conditions, and don't use ferts. that are too high in nitrogen. I use ESPOMA, IRON-TONE, a few times each season. It's slow release, and organic. Top dress your fig trees with granular limestone. Figs do not like acidic mediums. Crops will suffer from the acid, and be poor in quality, and flavor. Use a quick-draining mix without peat moss.

Your problems are either varietal, cultural, or, both. You should have no troubles getting figs to ripen in your climate zone. You just need to step back and re-check everything.

Hope this might help you.

Frank

Frank....Wow!!! I wish I could call you and chat...You know our area well and let me tell you, if I were to do a check list of what you just mentioned, I would only be able to check off a couple..

I have been doing it all wrong.....Well, in some ways, yes.
I have never pinched them, cut them, have them in too small containers. I am growing the figs that take forever to grow as compared to a Chicago and I never use lime.
Not just that, but I have been giving Osmocote and fertilizer...Too much I think or not enough.

In fact, the figs I have that are green and have small fruit have been in partial sun. The one, only one I have in full sun might have over heated on the hot roof..

You know, I will have to do things different next year..

Sheesh, you are right, even my trees did not leaf out until mid May....A very short growing season here.

Frank, how have you been? E-mail me or I you. Been thinking of you for quite some time but to busy and lazy to write anyone these days..Hoping you are ok these days.

I guess I'll keep them one more year and do things differently...hey, at least I can carry them through winter in an unheated shed without killing them and get green foliage and fruit, to a certain point...lol

Thank you

Mike

This post was edited by meyermike_1micha on Tue, Aug 20, 13 at 9:04

For me, pinching has been key. Also, I've discovered that under fertilizing can be just as big of a problem as over fertilizing. I've consistently under fertilized in previous years, and my results have been poor. This year, I used a combination of Osmocote Plus (1/2 tbsp per gallon) and Foliage Pro on some newly transplanted container figs (from quart sized pots), and their growth has been amazing. More importantly, after pinching, they set several figs each (some of which have already ripened).

This post was edited by shazaam on Tue, Aug 20, 13 at 13:46

@ Mike:

Send me an e-mail.

Frank